Ordnance



B. B. HOLMES. ORDNANCE. APPLICATION HLED'JAN. 1o, 1921.

Patented May 2.3, 1922.

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. n i, i 'r BRADFORD B. HOLMES, 0F NEW YORK, N, Y.

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Application led January 10, 1921. Serial No. 436,2624.

To all whom t may concer/m:

Be it known that I, BRADFORD B. HOLMES', a citizen of the United States, and resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful' Improvements in Ordnance, set forth in the annexed specification; and I do declare the-following to be and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others' skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. Y

This invention relates to ordnance.

Ordnance as usually constructed has many detriments, some of which are as follows:

1. Relatively low velocity of projectile.

2. The utilization of only a small percentage of the energy in the powder.

3. Heavy recoil to be absorbed.

4. Excessive length of barrel in propor tion to the diameter of the bore'.

5. Rifiing of barrel and short life.

' 6. Flash.

7. Noise. The object of this invention is to ameliorate thel first four ofthe aboveitems and to eliminate the last three. l

In firing a projectile from the barrel of a Gun, it is customary to ignite a charge of j powvder behind the projectile; the grains of the powder charge being so compounded and formed that combustion takes place practically uniformly, and the powder gas pressureis practically uniform during the travel of projectile through the bore.` lt is apparent that at'the time the projectile leaves the barrel, ythere is a large amount of energy remaining in the high pressure unexpanded gases in the barrel, and actually! only some 10% of the energy ed on the projectile.

rihe recoil of the gun is due to the r'eaction of the projectile and escaping gases in the powder is eXpendagainst the breech, and the gases forma very C considerable portion ofthe recoil energy which must be absorbed.

In order to keep the projectile head-on in flight, it is customary to impart rotation tothe projectile 'by rifling the barrel. The

tain projectile velocities of much more than 3,000 ft. per sec. because of the high gas pressures and rapid erosion of rifiing.

Again, when powder `is burned as above described, a long-gun is necessary to develop high velocity, and-'highvelocity guns are usually 50 calibres or more in length.v The noise, flash and concussion of the muzzle blast are serious objections asl they furnish means by which the location of uns v can be detected as by sound, flash, or ra iant heat ranging; asy well as being a source of nervous fatigue to the gun'crews.

Attempts have been made to increase the velocity of a projectile 'by using a`smooth bore barrel and sc shaping the projectile that its wind'lresistance would kee it head on `in flight like an arrow.` Suc 4projectiles are usually made cigar shaped-with fins or vanes at the rear,` somewhat like a submarine torpedo in shape. Extremely high velocities and long range/have thus lbeen obtained but the dispersion of the projectiles has been bad because the muzzle blast escaping at the rear of the projectile and through thefins caused the projectile to be deflected erratically, so that, heretofore, this method of overcoming the use of .rifling has notbeen successful. f Y

One of thelmain objects of4 this invention is to provide ameans for launching a vaned projectile truly *inits flight without the disturbing features of a muzzle blast to deflect it.

Generally stated, my invention consists of 'rigidly securing a vaned projectile to a cup shaped piston whose diameter is considerably greater than that of the projectile so thatfwith a given -powder pressure there will be a larger surface on which it acts with the consequent increase of acceleration imparted to the projectile; securing said piston .or cup to the barrel of the gun by a retaining member in such a way that'it will not ,become released and free t0 move until practically imparting of rotation to the projectile ab-v sorbs some of the powder energy, and the rotating lands and grooves on the rifling rapidly wear away so that the life of a high velocity gun is short. It is probable thatV the high powder pressures and temperatures play an important part in gun erosion. Heretofore, it has been impractical to atall the powder in the charge has been con-l sumed with a resultant high gasr pressure suflicientto shear the retaining member whereupon Vthe high gas` pressures' acting one large piston surface relative to the mass of theV projectile, in thef projectile in a shortlengthA of Abarrel and at the same time cause rapid' expansionI of the gases so that their pressure is greatly reducedat the time the' projectile leaves the.

generate terrific rvelocity barrel; arresting said piston or cup near the muzzle without materially retarding the Vthe sub'ect of another projectile, and utilizing said cup or piston to keep the powder gases within the barrel of the gun so that flash, noise, disturbing elect on projectile and recoil due to powder blast are eliminated; providing means for the relatively noivseless and slow escape of the gas from the bore and automatic release of the piston 'orcup when said gases have almost entirely escaped.

By utilizing a large piston area relative to the mass of the projectile and holding the j projectile and piston stationary until` the full owder pressure is nearly attained, I am able to develop extremely high velocity in a short barrel`-about 15 calibresand at the same time utilize the majority of the energy of the powder in useful work, 1and. accordingly the powder charge necessary to impart a given velocity to a given projectile can be less than when powder is burned in the usual way.

4This principle also greatly reduces the recoil so that a simplerecoil system is sulicient and in many cases no recoil system is necessary between the gun and carriage.

The short length of barrel materially aids construction, transportation and concealment and the by heat, sound and flash ranging.

It can be made in all sizes from a pistol to a large naval gun in all cases where extreme rapidity of fire is not essential. In its present form, it would not be suitable for machine guns and a special adaptation of the invention for very rapid lire is made atent application, o. 438,099, filed .lanuary 18, 1921. am aware that projectiles have heretofore been equipped with cups or pistons and that means of arresting the cup have been used. My invention, however, differs from others of this type in that it combines with the cup the `only kind of a projectile except Serial I a sphere which maintains a head-on flightl without rotation, and, so Afar as I am aware, provides the onl means yet devised |by which such a projectile can be launched by he action of powder without disturbing .orces tending to deflect the projectile from ts true line of flight. Also, I provide for he automatic and timed expulsion of cup ynd gases which is an essential feature in his type of weapon which must be entirely erved from the breech.

The above and other' objects and features f the invention will be more fully described nd explained in the following specifications nd accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical cross secon taken through the center of the gun efore firing.

Fig. 2` is a longitudinal vertical cross secon of the muzzle at the moment just prior i discharge of the cup after firing.

Fig. 3 is a frontl view of Fig. 1.

gun is proof against discovery Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. 2. j

Fig. 5' is a rear view of one form of projectile.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the-same. j

7 is a view of the front end of the gun showlng in section a cup deilector.

The numeral 1 indicates a gun barrel closed at its rear end bythe breech block 2 and breech block housing 3. The parts 2 and 3 may be of any conventional type, and contain the usual cartridge ejector and firing mechanism, the `firing pin 4 only of which is shown. The barrel- 1 is provided with the smooth cylindrical bore 5, the enlarged chamber 6 for the reception of the cartridge and a shoulder 7 formed between the bore and cartridge chamber. All the above elements are usual, the only point be` ing that the breech block must be of such la design as to push the cartridge firmly up against the shoulder 7.

The cartridge is made up of the following elements;

Projectile 8 fittedv with vanes or ins 9 and attached to the cup shaped piston 10 by rivet 11. Rlvet 11 is reduced in diameter at a point 12 so `that it and not pull the rivet head through the cup when the projectile leaves the cup. A cartridge case 13 surrounds the cup and the open end of the case'is spun or pressedat 14 around the shoulder of the'cup, retaining the cup in place and forming a water tight joint. A percussion cap or primer 15 is inserted in the rear, end of the cartridge and a hole 16 permits the llame from the ca powder 7chamber of the car'triflJ e and ignite the powder 17 when the gun'lis red. V l It will be noted that when the cartridge is'inserted as shown in the gun, that the cup is retained in position by the shoulder 14 of the cartridge case and shoulder 7 of t-he barrel, and that the gas pressure must rise in the powder chamber to a point to cause the cup to shear off the circular r1m or shoulder 14 before the cup and projectile start 'to move. The `result of this action is that a very high initial pressure is built up in the powder chamber which is suddenly released, and actingon the large piston area, develops extremely rapid acceleration in the projectile. The limit to this 'action is the point where the base of the projectile would crush or pierce the piston because of the, inertia resistance of the projectile.

It will be seen that it is absolutely necessary that thev projectile. be held firmly against the .cup so that cup and projectile move together asa unit. If there were the slightest distance separating the base. of the projectile and the cup, the cup would hit the projectile a blow instead of pushing it forward, and the device would not then function properly. The attachment of the projectile to the cup is therefore of the greatest will break at that point to enter the Y great enough 25 not cause it to deviate from its Three methods of` making this attachment suggest themselves, i. e., to screw, weld or rivet the cup to the projectile. The objection to screwing the two together is that the handling and bumping over the roads, etc., in ammunition wagons, would loosen a projectile from the cup now and then. Also, if the detachment of projectile and cup occurred by stripping the threads, eccentric strains might be applied to the projectilez the side having the fewest threads stripping first.

The objection to welding vis that it is di'licult to get a' uniform attachment at a point and any eccentric strain on the base of the importance.

fprojectlle at the moment of breaking contact with the cup would cause the projectile to deviate from its true line offflight. v

Where the cup and projectile are attached by riveting an initial strain is set up in the rivet .which holds the two parts tightly together, and by making the rivet slightly smaller as at 12, fracture will occur at that point, the resistance of which will be always axially applied to the projectile and will true line of flight. rlhe 'head' of the rivet remains in the cup sealing the rivet hole and preventing escape of gas. 'i

This invention is sential of a gun is that a gun, and the first esit shall launch its Aprojectile on a line of flight coincident with The manner of atthe axis of the bore. tachment of projectile and cup is, therefore, of the greatest importance in that no deviating influenceshall cause the projectile to be erratically launched, and the 'method of attachment here shown fulfills this requirement. 4 L

Near the muzzle of the gun are a plurality of conical segments 17 tapering forward from the full bore diameter to a circular opening 18 large enough to permit the passage of the projectile Without touching. These segments have exterior conical surfaces 19 which contact with similar interior conical surfaces on a sleeve 20 which surrounds .them and also surrounds the muzzle 21 of the barrel. The muzzle 21 is providdd with a U packing 22 and packing retainer 23, and the sleeve 20 with a U packing 24: and packing retainer 25. The annular space 26 enclosed by packings 22 and 24e, barrel muzzle 21 and sleeve 20 is filled with a liquid under pressure which urges sleeve 20 in the direction of` the breech and thus forces the segments 17 into the position shown. in Figs. 1 and 3,'the inner surface of the segments thus forming a smooth cone.

' Liquidunder pressure is supplied to space 26 from an ordinary tank containing liquid.

and low pressure compressed air. This,

tank is not normally a part of the gun and can convenientlybe mounted on the carriage so that lit is not illustrated in the drawings.

land Fig. 4 allowing segments broughtto rest by being deformed into the cone and without imparting much movement to the segments 17 or sleeve 20, owing to the weight and inertia of these parts and the resistance of the liquid in space 26 to sudden fiow through therestricted orifices 30. The projectile breaks loose `from the cup at 12 and passing through hole 18, continues'on its line of flight. v

The cup acts as a plug,`the rearward thin edge being expanded'by gas pressure into sealing contact with the barrel and prevents the escape of gas lfrom the bore. A second important requirement is thus fulfilled, i. e., that no disturbing muzzlerblast shall act on the base of the` projectile to deflect it from its true line vof flight after *it leaves the muzzle. f

rlhe gas 'pressure' inX the bore acting against the cup 6r piston urges it forward which expands the segments 17 which force the sleeve 20 forward, which squeezes the liquid in 26 through the throttled ,orifices 30 ino the hose-27 and the "tank Theliquid in 26 and .the orifice thus forma hydraulic brake which permits .sleeve 20. to move slowly forward under the action of the ases in the bore.

Attached to packing retainer 25 is -a valve stem 31 and valve 32 which controls a gas outlet hole 33. As the sleeve 2O moves forward it opens valve 32 permitting the gasesY in the bore to escape to the atmosphere .via hole 33, pipe 3&1 and muffler or 4silencer ny type of silencer-suitable for the purpose may be used, its object being to permit the gas to escape relatively slowly, noiselefssly and without flash. A few seconds arel neces- 'sary for this and the throttling valve 30 and must be so designed thatsleeve to the position shown in Fig. 2 17 to expand and permit the escape ofcup 10 under a slight gas pressure before all the gas in the gas valve 32 20 advances barrel has escaped. rl`he cup leaves sleeveJ 20 and striking falls to the ground. Deflector 86 is secured 'to sleeve 20, and its object is to prevent the cup from shooting forward after leaving the muzzle. The deflector has a hole 37 smaller the deflector 36 (Fig.'7)

`than the cup 10. to permit the passage of the projectile. I

The slopes of the inner and outer conical surfaces of segments 17 should bear such a relation to each other that the pressure'exerted by theA cup will force the segments outwardly in 'a direction perpendicular to the axis of the bore rather than forward with the sleeve 20. v

Owing to the fact thatthe hot gases are retained for a short interval of time lin the bore, the barrel 1 will absorb more heat than is usual when the gases escape immediately with the projectile. Therefore a water jacket consisting of the tube 38 secured to breech housing 3 and a ring 39 screwed onto the barrel near the muzzle, provide a means of cooling the barrel.l A plug in ring 39 serves as an inlet for the water.

Details of the carriage, trunnions, liquid tank supplying space 26, and other usual accessoriesL to' a gunmount are not shown s they arev in common use'in ordnance.

To prevent escape of gas about valve stem 31, a copper cup packing 41 is secured between Valve 32 and stem 31 which seals the sliding joirit. 4.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a sllghtly different form of cut by slotting out of the base of the projectile. f

The action of the gun is as follows.:

The breech is kopened and the cartridge 1nserted. The breech is closed shoving the cartridge v U der 7. The primer 15 is firedwhich lgnites the powder 17 and as soon as the gas pressure is sufficient to shear olf the end 14 of the cartridge case, the projectile and piston or cup 10 move rapidly up the bore.

l/Vork is done on the projectile and cupby the expansion of the gas in 17 rather than by ad ition of fresh constant pressure gas as is now, customary where the pow-der is burned, slowly. The length of the barrel should be such that the gas expands to a point whereA further expansion of the gas will impart no additional acceleration tothe projectile. Such a length will be less than thepresent 4usual length of 50 calibres, 15 to 20 calibres beingnearer the proper ligure, hence the length of the barrel is materially reduced. The cup guides the projectile truly through the bore, and the tapered rear edge under the expansion force of the gases forms a leakless joint between the cup and bore. The cup is essentially a piston,and is adopted because it offers an inexpensive and light construction, but obviously other types of piston may be substituted,

he cup is almost brought to rest in the muzzle cone' and its energy is absorbed by deforming the cup. The projectile tears loose breaking the rivet 11 at 12 and passing zhrough holes 18 and 37 continues truly on ts line of fiight with no deecting forces ending to deiiect it other than the action f gravity and wind to which all projectiles yre su ject.

projectile base in which the fins are firmly into its seat against shoul On firing the gun, recoil energy is transmitted to the breech block from the reaction of the powder gases, the cup andthe projectile. The cup and gases being arrested in the muzzle cone, theonly unbalanced recoil reaction is that of the projectile, and as the mass of the gun -is large in proportion to the projectile, in many cases the recoil is so slight that no recoil check will vbe necessary between the Vgun and carriage. I

' The gas pressure acting on the piston pushes sleeve 20 forward, opening gas outlet 33 which permits the gas to escape under Y cup to be ejected as has been described. After the escape of the cup, the liquidv pressure `in`26 brings 'the segments 17 and sleeve 20 back to the iiring position shown in Fig. 1.

It is apparent that this invention permits 1. The attainment of very high velocity of projectile with 2. The utilization of a relatively small powder charge and 3. A light recoil and with 4. Short barrel length.

5. Also, that it permits the firing of a projectile designed to maintain a head-on flight due to its 'conformation hand reaction*l with air resistance without any disturbing, influence acting on it at the moment of discharge whichfwould tend to deflect it from its true line of :Hight 6. That such a projectile may be very long and tapered -at both ends to give minimum air resistance land consequently long range or a given mass and velocity.

7. That riding and consequent bore erosion are eliminated, and

8. Due to the retention and controlled escape of lgases from the bore, no flash and 9. Re atively no noise accompanies the discharge.

It is apparent that ways in which this invention may be realized, and I contemplate its use'in other rela-- tions, so I do -not restrict myself to the form of the preferred embodiment herein illustrated, except as defined in the claims.

1. In a deviceofthe class described, a projectile, a cartridge case, a piston within saidcartridge case adapted to impart motion to said projectile, and means normally retaining said piston within said cartridge case. l

2. Ina device of the class described, aprojectile, a cartridge case, an explosive charge within said said explosive charge, a piston witlun'said case and adapted to impart motion to said projectile, means forretaining said piston 1n said case until high gas pressures have beenv developed by the ignition of said explosive charge. j

3 In a device of the class described, a

there -are manyA .other I case, means for. igniting iso Leidse? barrel, a projectile, a cartridge case, -a iston within said cartridge case adapte to impart motion to-said projectile, an explosive charge within said` cartridge case,

means for igniting said explosive charge,v

and means for retaining said piston in said case yuntil the development bf-high gas pressure due to the: ignition of said explosive charge, said means comprising a shearing member interposed between said piston and barrel and adapted `toshear under heavy pressure.

4.. In a device of. the class described, a vaned projectile, a cup shaped means or securing sald projecti e and piston together, said means comprising a rlvet with a reduced diameter at a given. place. 5. In a device of the class described, a cartridge case, a cup shaped piston within said cartridge case, an explosive charge within said case and said piston, means for ignit'ing said explosive charge, a vaned projectile attached. to said piston, and.. means comprising the walls of said cartridge case overlappingthe forward end of said -piston for retaining said piston lwithin said cartridge-case until rise of ressure due to ignition of the explosive c arge is suiicient to cause shearing of said retaming means.

6. In a device of the class described, inl

combinatiom, a barrel; a projectile; an explosive charge; a piston adapted to impart motion to said projectile upon ignition of said ex losive charge, said piston being materially greater in diameter than said projectile; and means allowing the passage of said projectile from said barrel but adapted to retard the motion of said piston and retain it in said barrel for a period of time and thereafter allow its discharge.

7. In a device `ofthe class described, in

combination, a barrel; a projectile; an explosive charge; a piston adapted to impart motion to vsaid projectile upon ignition of saidfexplosive charge, said piston being materially greater in diameter than said projectile; and means-allowing the passage of said projectile from said barrelbut adapted to retard the motion of said piston and retain it in said barrel for a period of time and thereafter allow its discharge, said means comprising conical segments adapted to expand under the pressure exerted by said piston.

8. Ina device of the class described, in combination, a barrel; a projectileyan explosive charge; a ypisten adapted to impart motion to said projectile uponpignition of said explosive charge, said piston being ma.- terially greater in diameter than saidprojectile; andv means-.allowing .the passage of said projectile from said barrel but adapted to retard themotion of said piston and retain it' in said barrel for a period of time and thereafter allow its discharge, said 'flight of the projectile after the iston and means comprising conical segments controlled by an hydraulic brake and adapted to slowly expand under the pressure exerted by said piston.

9. In the combination of claim 6 the additional feature of a deflector to deect the line of flight of the piston from the line of piston has been expelled from the barrel.

10. In a device of the class described, a barrel; an explosive charge; a projectile; a piston adapted-to impart motion to said projectile under action of said explosive charge and arranged to prevent the escape of gas from said barrel; va restricted orifice'near the muzzle permitting the unrestricted passage of said projectile but retarding the mo- 1l. In adevice of the class described, in I combination, a barrel member; a powder charge; a projectile; a piston adapted to' im-l part motion to said projectile under action of the gases from the ignition of said pow. vder 'charge and to seal said gases in said barrel; means permitting the unrestricted passage of said projectile from said barrel but retarding the motion of said piston near the muzzle, and a valve operated by said pist0n retarding means permitting and controlling the. escape of said powder gases during the time of retardation of said piston in said muzzle.

12. In the combination of claim 11 the added feature of a silencer to silence the discharge of said gases.

13. In a'device of the clas's described in combination; a barrel; a powder charge in said barrel; a projectile; a piston set in motion bythe expansive force of gasesgenerated from the burning j of said powder charge and adapted to impart motion to saidprojectile and seal said gases in said barrel; conicaly segments adapted to retard the motion of said piston near the muzzle of said barrel, said segments .being retained by a sleeve and ahydraulic brake adapted to permit theslow and .controlled expansion of said conical, segments under the thrust of said piston, and to permit the-expulsion of said piston after an interval of time, and a gas outlet operated and controlled by .the motion of said sleeve to permit the escape of gases from said barrel during the time of retardation of saidv piston -by said conical segments. i

' Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of January, A. D. y1991.

BRAnFeRD B. HOLMES. 

